RM64 Q&A WITH ANDREW BRIGHTMAN

Interview by: Scott Sheldon & Rodel Delfin

A lot has happened in the music industry since Andrew Brightman started his career in the biz twenty years ago. Successfully navigating through the landscape changes is key to survival and prosperity in the ever-changing talent business. For Brightman, that career route started as a vinyl buyer for Tower Records, while DJing at downtown clubs in New York City. Looking for new opportunities outside of the Big Apple, Brightman relocated to Los Angeles in the early 90s.

With Tinseltown as his new home, Brightman immersed himself in various music projects doing independent marketing, music supervision and artist management. He would later land A&R and Creative executive positions at A&M Records and PolyGram Music Publishing, respectively.  After PolyGram was sold to Universal, Brightman further honed his creative skills by developing and managing new artists as well as consulting for major labels.

In 2004, he started Brightman Music, a producer management company. Many of Brightman’s clients (past and present) have been involved with this decade’s biggest selling acts including The Killers, Nickelback, OneRepublic, Daughtry, Hinder, Katy Perry, Metro Station, Iglu & Hartly, and Shooter Jennings, among many others.

He recently stopped by the RM 64 offices with coffee and donuts to give us the latest on his clients/projects and to get his take on the current music landscape.

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RM 64: What does Brightman Music primarily do and how is it different from typical producer management companies?

AB: In addition to managing record producers we focus on artist development and managing production companies. Producer management companies in the past have been like employment agencies. Someone like me would go into every record label and talk to A&R about what projects they have coming up and try to match a producer from my roster with the project.  These days there are a lot more producers than there are projects, so the responsibility is on producers to develop artists and try to help place them with major labels as well as indie labels. We’re active in helping our producers get involved with new artists, not only creatively but from a business standpoint as well, getting them record and publishing deals, and just getting their careers off the ground.

RM 64: How do you decide whether or not to get involved with a particular producer or artist?

AB: Having worked as an A&R guy at a label, when I find an artist I like, it triggers me to get involved immediately to promote the artist and the producer. I think choosing the artists that are entertaining, who are doing something a little different, and are appealing is what’s important to me. But it also comes down to whether or not I can get excited about it.

RM 64: So would you say that your experience doing A&R in the past plays a role in what you’re doing now managing producers?

AB: Well I think what I do is bring in elements of A&R and management, all aspects of my past career experiences. Sometimes I’ll discover an artist, bring it to a client I represent and provide A&R for that project—sort of team up with the producer and shop it around to try to get it signed.

RM 64: What changes have you seen in the role of A&R?

AB: I think it has changed in that now it’s more about identifying opportunities, about finding artists that are already on their way and are beginning to start a career that a major record company can get involved with. And pour gas on the fire so to speak.  As opposed to the way it used to be, when you’d really help create the artist with the label. You’d get involved earlier on, match them up with a producer, but now you have the most desirable signings proving themselves in the market place first. It’s a bit more research driven.

RM 64: Do you think that change has had an effect on producers?

AB: In some ways it has.  A few years ago record labels were more interested in doing demo deals and getting involved with an artist early. I think that business has gone away completely, and now A&R people are more used to hearing finished masters, things that are ready to put out, perhaps tweak a little, remix or something.  Like with the Killers, my clients had most of that album (Hot Fuss) already tracked when the band was signed, then it was just mixed, put out and went on to sell 7 million worldwide.

RM 64: Therefore, is it important for young artists to work with a seasoned producer on demos?  When is the right time?

AB: I believe artists need to build their business organically. Do as much as they possibly can before getting involved with managers and lawyers.  They need to play out, sell merch, show tickets and be as independent as possible for as long as they can. As far as working with a producer, I think a great time is when the material is getting stronger, and they have an album or two worth of good songs. They can go in and work with a producer to help hone in on their songs and make a great album.

A producer is a great person to get that feedback from too. They’ve played in bands, made all the mistakes, and their objectivity is really useful. At the same time, I’ve also seen many bands make records in home studios and then bring the tracks to mixers who sweeten them up, make it sound huge and great.

RM 64: Whether an artist records on their own or with a producer, what is a common problem you come across in demos?

AB: Typically I can tell a demo is amateur when it seems to be pretty self-indulgent, long boring repetitive parts, or it’s all drums or bass up front, things like that. When a band is playing in their basement and jamming, its great to want to go off, but when they’re trying to get the real sound of a song, sometimes they have to lay back a little bit.

Think of a film without editing, all raw footage, everything in but the kitchen sink just comes across as lost.  It’s about choosing those elements that do something for the song and make it better, more exciting, that’s where a producer can come in handy.  They become a referee and can hold parts back or bring them forward in the music. It’s difficult to pick and choose when it’s your own art; it’s difficult to see yourself in a mirror. But I have seen it the other way too, when there’s been a great band with great ideas pushing the envelope, and a producer comes in and gives it a haircut and it’s just boring and dull.

RM 64: We’ve been talking about emerging unsigned talent, what’s your opinion on major label 360 arrangements becoming fairly standard with most new artist deals?

AB: I’m for 360 deals as long as they are fair to the artists and the record labels are working to break artists, not just single songs.  They need to really be involved with the artist for the long term. It’s naïve to think that an artist can succeed on the highest level without the help and support of a big record company that’s energizing a national or worldwide marketing campaign. That is as long as the labels are not just grabbing assets for the sake of grabbing assets and not doing more than they would have a few years ago.

I think in order for record companies to make it, they need to become music companies and they need to provide all the services to help an artist’s career. Everything is going to be digitally sold; they’re not going to have the little plastic discs to sell for 10 or 15 dollars anymore, so they have to make money in other ways. If major record companies make money, then they can reinvest it in the artist community and bring more artists up to that level.  It’s pretty difficult for four guys in a band and a manager, especially if it’s their first go-around, to make a really big splash outside of their local market.

RM 64: How have 360 deals affected producers?

AB: I know that a lot of producers are doing 360 deals of their own now.  They get involved with a new artist, develop the material, then try to bring that deal into a major label and somehow hold onto a small piece of those earnings.  Overall recording budgets are tiny now, so record producers are making less money up front and if record sales are down, then they don’t have the backend, which is where most of a producer’s earnings are traditionally made. Again, I think it’s okay as long as those deals are structured in a fair way and they’re not taking advantage of the artist.

RM 64: What advice would you give to a young or aspiring record producer?

AB: I think young producers should try and develop their own sound and try not to copy what others have done.  A&R people are always looking for that new cool young producer who is bringing something fresh. That’s how young producers need to distinguish themselves.

There are people coming out of recording schools that can setup a very efficient studio and have a ton of bands in there, make some nice clean demos all day long and churn out a decent living.  But the ones that stand out are the ones who are bringing some new elements to it, that are bringing a fresh creativity to their work.  Another thing is young producers should listen to a lot of music.

Listen to the radio and take a song that they’re working on and try to make it really entertaining and try to maybe identify the ones that could be the big songs. Also they should contribute to the songs, perhaps it’s co-writing, but just bring more to the table than a nice clean recording.  You want to put your own stamp on it, but without overpowering what the artist is.  At the end of the day, it’s the artist’s music, you just need to add to it and enhance it.

RM 64: Is that what you look for in potential clients?

AB: It is, and I look at their drive very seriously.  One of the biggest clients I’ve developed was writer/producer Brian Howes (Hinder, Daughtry).  The first time I met him I asked, ‘what have you worked on? what have you done?’, and he said ‘nothing’. So I said ‘what do you do’, and he said ‘I’m a record producer, I’m a songwriter’.  I was trying to figure out why I should represent him and what I had to work with, and he said ‘listen, I’m going to be the biggest producer you’ve ever worked with’, and his confidence was appealing and he was so sure of himself.  I wanted to take a chance on him and see what he could do.  I like when producers take an interest in their own career, when they go for it and challenge themselves.

RM 64: Well the donuts are gone, which means the interview is over. Thanks for stopping by today!

AB: You’re welcome. Hope you enjoyed them.

*Some of Brightman Music’s current producer clients include:

Dave Cobb  (Waylon Jennings, Jamie Johnson, Shooter Jennings, Michael Johns, Nico Vega)
Mark Needham  (The Killers, Fleetwood Mac, Metro Station, Iglu & Hartly, Chris Isaak)
Joey Moi (Nickelback, Theory of a Deadman, Santana w/ Chad Kroeger, George Canyon)
Jeff Johnson (Jet Black Stare, Adelitas Way, Divide The Day)